Set Benefit Priorities
You have the freedom to set your benefit priorities based on your personal values. But with that privilege come responsibility. The following tips helps you maximize the value of your benefit plan.
Design Your Benefit Mix
Preventing Disease & Injury
- Treating disease & injury Insuring the financial risk of treating disease & injury
- Emergency travel insurance
- Catastrophic health insurance
- Comprehensive health & dental insurance
Choose the Quality of Care that is Most Appropriate
- Medication (newest vs. cheapest)
- Dental (implants vs. bridges)
- Vision (glasses vs. laser surgery)
- Paramedical (numerous types of regulated health professionals)
Spend Wisely
You can maximize the value of your benefit plan by making careful purchase decisions.
Coordinate with Other Plans
- Spouse's employer health insurance
- Submit all claims to your spouse's insurance plan first and then any unpaid amount to the health spending account.
- Submit your spouse's payroll deduction for medical & dental insurance to the health spending account.
- Student’s university health insurance
- Submit all claims to the university plan first and then any unpaid amount to the health spending account.
- Provincial government plan
Ensure Value
- Medication
- Dispensing fee: The professional fee charged by pharmacies varies and should reflect the level of service provided.
- Ingredient cost: The lowest available ingredient cost should be used in the pricing calculation.
- Markup: The markup on ingredient cost varies by pharmacy.
- Direct Delivery Discount Pharmacies:
- For more than two decades direct delivery pharmacies have competed with retail pharmacies for maintenance medication. Many direct delivery pharmacies guarantee a low dispensing fee, low markup, willingness to dispense the lowest cot drug and willingness to provide three months’ supply without any additional charge.
- For more information visit:
- Dental
- Frequency: How often you see your dentist should depend on your biology and oral hygiene practices. Some people need to go every 3 months while annually is fine for others.
- Markup: The rates charged by dentists differ.
- Specialists: The quality provided by a specialist often exceeds the incremental price difference.
